Associate - Manufacturing

Your Impact

As an Associate, you will join a client service team and take ownership of a workstream to solve some of the toughest challenges our clients face.

Your clients won't be just any clients—they'll be some of the most influential organizations around, from Fortune 500 giants to innovative startups. We will expect you to go the extra mile, delivering solutions that solve immediate problems and drive long-term change. We’ll rely on your judgment and integrity to ensure our recommendations are effective and long-lasting.

You will take on a role that goes beyond advising. You’ll be at the heart of the action—helping to uncover the true challenges behind a client’s strategy and creating actionable plans that drive real change. Working alongside clients and other McKinsey colleagues, you’ll combine research, analyzing data, interviews, and brainstorming to generate fresh insights and breakthrough solutions. Your commitment to our values will be crucial in earning our clients' trust and delivering results that matter.

As you collaborate directly with clients, you’ll help them solve problems, refine strategies, and implement transformations. By equipping them with the tools and knowledge to continue innovating and improving after we’ve left, you’ll ensure the impact of our work endures. In doing so, you’ll uphold McKinsey’s commitment to making a meaningful difference in the industries and communities we serve.

Your qualifications and skills

• An advanced graduate degree (e.g., MBA, PhD, etc.) or equivalent work experience; requirements may vary by country or practice.
• 6+ years of hands-on experience in a high-performance manufacturing environment, specifically demonstrating leadership skills in performance improvement & change management.
• Strong interest and passion for coaching or mentoring clients.
• Excellent organizational capabilities, including the ability to initiate tasks independently and see them through to completion.
• Proficient in rational decision making based on data, facts, and logical reasoning.
• Ability to create work product-focused materials/outputs, which may include PowerPoint decks, Excel models, articles, or other written deliverables.
• Exceptional time management to meet your responsibilities in a complex and largely autonomous work environment.
• Willingness to travel up to 80%; ability to travel to and work in varying environments that may be challenging and/or not accessible (e.g., factories, hospitals, mines).
• Ability to work or attend meetings outside of traditional business hours or take on projects with limited or no notice at times.
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, in English and local office language(s), with the ability to adjust your style to suit different perspectives and seniority levels.